001I pray for this meeting, God, for your wisdom to fall on each and every one of us in our discussions, even in our decisions, for your discernment to come through your Holy Spirit to help us, Lord, as we make decisions that are best for our students and our sisters. systems. I thank you for every person that's here, every board member that gives of their time to help lead and guide us. So, Father, bless us in this time. And we praise you in the glorious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. I pray. States of America. Next on the agenda is approval of the minutes from May 18th, 2026. You all had these uh minutes uh to look at a motion for approval. >> Make that motion, Mr. Chairman. >> Hearing a motion. Is there further discussion
002hearing? None. All those in favor shall raise a handmus. Uh next on the agenda is adjustment approval agenda presented by Dr. Stove. Thank you, Chairman Settlemire, members of the board. Uh just a few things u but just a reminder tonight too uh use our microphones. Uh, Miss Wetszel's not able to be with us tonight, but she'll That uh does it for my proposed adjustments. >> All right. Hear the proposed amendments, removal, and additions. Is there any further discussion? If not, I request a motion for approval. >> Mr. Chairman, approve the agenda as presented. >> Hear a motion. Is there further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor shall raise a hand. Thank you. Next up, chairman report. Uh, graduations are over. So, now it's time for the summer hiring blitz. Uh, cop county schools. And
003anybody out there needs a job, Ray Thompson right over here can can handle that for you and we'll put you in the right spot. Next up, superintendent report by Dr. Stove. >> Thank you, Chairman. and some members of the board if you could meet me out front. We've got some special students to recognize this evening and Dr. McCreary uh will join us. >> Good evening, Dr. Stove, members of the board, we're really excited this evening to recognize uh one uh outstanding band student from our middle schools this year. Uh Avery Powers, if you'll come up. He's a eighth grader at Mil Creek Middle School. And we want Hang on a second. We just want to recognize you. We want to recognize you tonight. He made 13th chair clarinet for all state uh band and middle
004school. and there's only 70 students across North Carolina that are selected for all state band and he was chosen as 13th clarinet. So we're excited to recognize you this evening and just an awesome representative for our school system. >> Also want to recognize uh Mr. Long. He is our outstanding band instructor at Mil Creek Middle School. Mr. Long, you want to come up too? Good evening. I have the privilege to recognize uh the mechanical minds team um this year. So, this is a group that uh started at Saint, but really it's grown beyond just St. Stevens. So, it's uh at the largest membership to date. got 38 members from four high schools, obviously St. Stevens, Challengers, another big population. Then Bandies and Franty Ford as well. Uh the lead mentor, Miss Miller, is was unable
005to be with us tonight. She's out of the country, so unfortunate for us, but fortunate for her, probably she's enjoying herself. Um but I've got uh Jonathan Loss. If you look him up from CBCC, he was another mentor for this team. Um as he's coming up, we're going to introduce some students, but just a brief um kind of update. to this team competed in a couple events uh UNCC Asheville as well as UNCC Pimbrook. Um and at the Asheville competition they won the first it's not like the f it's first all caps first the name of the competition first impact award um which is actually the most prestigious award at the competition and they honor a team as that best represents a model for other teams to follow. So big award there. um also a
006team sustainability award at the Pimbrook contest and with that success they were able to qualify for the North Carolina uh championship and since they um competed so well at that competition they were able to partner with Alliance 2. It's kind of like a draft I guess is how it works. Uh so if you perform well you group up with another team and then and and together they were able to go and compete at the first world's competition in Houston, Texas. Um, cool thing about that is is how the community bought in and it was what, two weeks you're able to raise, I believe, $36,000 to for them to travel to Texas, which is pretty amazing. So, a lot of hard work and uh it's just pretty amazing what these what these young adults um have
007accomplished this year. So, with that, I'm going to turn over to Dr. Loss and let you um let's recognize some some students. Yes. >> So, thank you uh members of the board, Dr. Stove, Mr. West Morland, uh on behalf of the whole team. Uh we really appreciate your support this year and excited to recognize uh these kids. Not all of them were able to be with us uh tonight. They worked uh eight weeks to build a robot uh to compete in these different competitions starting at the beginning of the year. So lots of hard work on behalf of all these students and we're excited to recognize them tonight. Um so again, not sure if all of them are here tonight, but this is by school. So is uh Daphne Eddings with us tonight from Bandies?
008I think so. Um, Zack Hefner. Yeah, come on. Y'all come on in so everybody can be be in here. We have Zack Hefner from uh Fred T. Ford High School. Zach Lewis tonight to be here. Uh, Jean Carlo Balabini from Challenger Early College. Uh, Luis Estan Sto from Challenger Early College. uh Kingston Free who is also a district first leadership finalist. Uh Cameron Kale Cameron with us from Challenger. Uh Kingston was also from Challenger. Uh Tyler Mace from Challenger Early College. Uh, at McMurray from Challenger, unable to be with us tonight. Uh, Rodrigo Ortiz Chavez from Challenger Early College. James Fieldhouser from Challenger Early College. Uh Lucy Vector from Challenger, not with us tonight. Uh Hayden Wallace from Challenger, also not with us. Kyo Yang from Challenger. Taran Kraton uh from St. Stevens, unable to
009be with us. Alli Barry from St. Stevens. Brooklyn Crouch from St. Stevens High School. Isabelle Dehart from St. Stevens. Lashante Doula from St. Stevens High School. Oliver Ford from St. Stevens High School. Owen Ford from St. Stevens High School. Wendy Garcia Lopez from St. Stevens High School. Jared Humphrey from St. Stevens. My own son Noah Loss unable to be here with us tonight. Uh Matthew Longrath from St. Stevens High School. Harper Payatt from St. Stevens High School. Uh Cara Ramsey, our team president from St. Stevens High School. Lillian Reed from St. Stevens High School. Jaylen Shurer from St. Stevens High School. Uh Lance Thick from St. Stevens, also a district first leadership finalist. and Lexi Thompson from St. Stevens High School, Ashley Valencia Roman, unable to be with us, also from St. Stevens High School.
010And we have several other mentors with us. We have Ashley Reid, Chad Crouch, Rodney Piatt in the back. Uh what we do could not be possible without these uh men and women who help the team mentor. So, thank you all for your support and recognition tonight. The the robot weighs 120 pounds and uh is like 27 by 27 inches. We have members of our programming team, our mechanical team, electrical team, our drive team, all of them presing uh business team tonight. So it takes like 35 kids to make this happen and many mentors. So Come on. Thank you guys. Next on the agenda is the consent agenda for uh June 8th um which you've all had a chance to look at u before the meeting. take a motion for approval of the consent agenda items
011one through five. >> Mr. Chairman, I make the motion to uh approve the consent and consent agenda items as presented. >> Hearing a motion, is there a further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor shall raise a hand. That is unanimous. Thank you. Next on the agenda is the approval of the 2026 2027 sales and use tax claim refund proposal between Sessions Consulting Incorporated and Kataba County Board of Education presented by Mr. Steven Pette. >> Yes, sir. >> Seth prevent my apologies. >> It is totally fine. Thank you, Chairman Selmire, members of the board, Dr. Stover. Um, this is an annual tax return, if you will, uh, that we submit to the North Carolina Department of Revenue. Um, but it is for sales tax as opposed to income tax. Um, we have used this vendor
012for the last three years. So, that contract has expired, hence why the new one is here before us. Two of those three years, the expense went over 25,000. So, I don't expect that to happen again. that was because of all those ESSER dollars, the influx of those funds. So, tonight is more a transparency. Um, just trying to to to bring it um just in case uh that were to ever happen again. So, the way that this works is this gentleman, his name is John Sessions, he would do this uh return for us, submit it to the North Carolina Department of Revenue. We would pay him out of the proceeds of the refund that he gets on our behalf. So, it's not costing us anything out of local dollars. He just takes a cut of what
013he gets back from us. The other way that this works is a lot of this will be coming uh in the form of a federal funds refund or child nutrition refund. So, we bill his portion of the expense back to those programs as well. Um he works with 45 other districts across the state. We're looking to continue this relationship with him potentially for the next two years. There any questions I can answer for you related to this contract? If there are no questions, Mr. Previtt, uh I seek a motion for approval of the 2026 2027 sales and use tax claim refund proposal between Sessions Consulting Incorporated and Kataba County Board of Education. I make a motion. >> Hearing a motion. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor show a raise of
014hand. That is unanimous. Thank you, Mr. Prevett. >> Thank you. >> Next on the agenda is approval of proposed quote from Griffins Incorporated to purchase and replace classroom camera system and exceptional children specialized programs. Have Dr. Ashbrook and Dr. McCra on here. Is you Miss Aspr? Okay. >> Yes. It's just me. Thank you. Board members, Dr. Stove, um we are requesting to purchase 45 cameras uh to place in our specialized program. Specialized programs for uh our EC department include what is known as separate continuum or self-contained programs. Um we currently have some cameras in some of our adapted curriculum programs. However, the software systems are are really becoming outdated. So, we need to update those as well as add to the other specialized programs in order to ensure that we have a safe learning environment
015for our students and for our staff. Um, I think L Headsmith is here as well if we have questions specific to the quote that we're looking at. So, this is going to update our system and re >> replace some replace current cameras and add to our other uh separate continuum programs that do not have cameras currently. >> Chairman Settlemire, members of the board, also too, as we u discussed, we also have a policy that we'll be updating to bring back to you all in regards to our video um and and audio in our classrooms and Mr. for West Morland. Uh we'll be working on that with Mr. Sink. Um and so we hope to have that maybe July or August update of where we think would be helpful for the board to be. So just
016want to give you a heads up on that. Any questions for Dr. Ashbrook on this? Not. I seek approval of proposed quote from Griffins Incorporated to purchase and replace classroom camera systems and acceptable children specialized programs. >> Make a motion and we approve that. >> Hearing a motion. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor shall raise a hand as unanimous. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Uh number three has been removed. Uh, new business number four, proposal approval of proposed design contth grade Middle School additions and renovations projects at HMR Middle School, Jacobsport Middle School, Mil Creek Middle School, Riverbend Middle School, presented by Robert Oily. And before you get started, this is your first time up here, so thank you everybody. Give him a round of applause. First time of many times,
017I hope. >> I hope so. Yeah. Thank you very much. So, good evening, Dr. Stove, chair, Chairman Settlemire, and members of the board. Tonight, I bring to you a contract for approval for design services between Kataba County Schools and LS3P Architects and for the four schools of Art Middle, Jacobs Fork, Mil Creek, and Riverbend Middle School. So the contract defines the following. The relationship between the owner C uh Kab County Schools and the designer LS3P. Uh the basic services and scope of the project and the compensation. And as you remember, you guys approved that in May. The compensation schedule. uh LS3P's fees for all four projects will total $4.365 million as part of a $71.5 million um part of the project which is essentially 6% which is very much in line with uh with state
018uh averages. So inside the contract uh article four defines the payments to the designer and how these are paid. they're by a cumulative percentage based on the completion stage of the project. So as we go along we'll we'll come up to 100% by the end of the project obviously. So exhibit A uh in article 14 defines the key dates for achievement. Um there's three main phases and that is schematic design which we are in now SD uh design development or DD and then construction documents. So the bid document should be ready we feel like in November okay to to go out to bid for our subcontractor. Uh part of that too, as far as liability insurance, LS3P will carry uh $2 million in professional liability insurance and general liability, either 2 million or 1 million
019depending on the case. Uh article 10 spells out the unlikely event of early termination and the process for that, which we hope that never happens. So, and article 14 also contains uh exhibits B, C, D, and E, which are design consult consultants fees. Uh, Jessica Lunsford Act compliance. The CM at risk agreement which will be between TK schools and Hickory Construction. We hope to pass that at the next June meeting. So, um, if it's a, you know, if and when it's approved by the board. So, I am happy to answer or try to answer any questions that I can. And I also have representatives here from LS3P that can can help us answer questions as well. >> Thank you both for for all the work you put in on this. I know we've been doing
020this it seems like since uh November or December that we've worked on this. So, thanks for all the work you put into it. And uh I don't have any further questions. Listen. Uh if we don't have any questions, I seek a Approve a proposed design contract between LS3P architects and Kataba County's board of education for Kataba County Schools, sixth grade middle school, additions and renovations projects at HMart Middle School, Jacob Middle School, Mil Creek Middle School. >> Mr. Chairman, I'll make that motion as presented. Thank you. >> Here a motion. Is there further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor shall raise a hand. That is unanimous. Thank you. >> Thank you. So secondly, I bring to you tonight a contract for approval between Kataba County Schools and Holland and Hammer Architects for Maiden Middle
021School. And just as the previous contract, the relationship, the contract defines the relationship between Kaba County Schools and Holland and Hammer, the basic services and scope of the project. Uh the compensation uh which was approved at the last meeting, uh which would be 2.4 4 million uh on a $39.5 million construction budget at Maiden Middle School, which is in the low 6% range. And again, that's very much in line with state averages. U article 4 defines those payments to the designer and how they are paid over a cumulative schedule. Uh exhibit A defines the schematic design, uh design, development, and construction document phases. Uh again, we feel like bid documents will be ready by November or sooner. So, that's good. Uh insurance is the same as with the previous uh $2 million in professional liability
022insurance and either 2 million or 1 million in in general liability depending on the cause. Uh article 10 spells out early termination in that process which feel like is very highly unlikely. uh the project documents would become joint property of of both the owner and the designer and also article 14 contains those same exhibits A through E and again I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have or refer those to representative from Holland and Hammer there with us as well >> and thank you both for all the work you put in on it and and you've taught me so much about windows I still remember our conversations at Maiden Elementary when we put windows And uh but thank you for all this work you put in on this. And if are there any
023questions on this hearing? None. Uh I seek a a motion for approval of pres proposed designer contract between Holland and Hammer Architects and Kataba County Board of Education for Kataba County School sixth grade middle school additions and renovations project at Maiden Middle School. Hearing a motion. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor raise hand. That is unanimous. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> And and thanks to Kataba County's commissioners, too, for allowing us to be able to do this project. >> Yes. >> Uh next up is Sourcewell contracts between Royalwood Associates Incorporated and Kataba County Board of Education for gymn gymnasium floor projects at maid middle school and HMR Middle School presented by Mr. West Morland. All right. Good evening, Chairman Settlemire, members of the board, Dr. Stove. So, I've come to you
024tonight seeking approval for two gym floor projects. Um, one at Maiden Middle and one at Art Middle. Uh, these are source well contracts. So, similar to a state contract. Um, these are negotiated uh contracts and we have used this in the past. Both projects would in would include complete sanding uh two coats of seal, newly painted lines and and logo as well as two coats of finish. You can see the artwork. Marty, if you'll scroll down and show the artwork there. That one's going to be maiden. And the maiden cost uh $31,857. Let's scroll down to art. Missed one. Now, aren't projects submit a little bit more? 34,427. Know it's in their packet. All right. So, this project would come from the Capital Outlay Painting Fund. Um, and the Royal Wood Associates would be conducting
025this work. Uh, we've trusted them for about 15 plus years of refinishing our gym floors. Um, so with that, I'll throw it out to you guys for any questions you may have. >> How many more times does Maiden's gym have uh sanding left in it? Yeah. So, well, we're going to keep doing it till we see the nails you until the nails start popping through. So, that's kind of when when you know it's time. So, um so hopefully what our plan is for this to last about 15 years at least 15 to 20 years. 20 is probably stretching it, but we do um refin well not all the way down refinish, but we screen and recoat every year our competition floor. This is completely taken it down. So, this has to be done about every
02615 years. Okay. I seek approval or there are no questions. I seek approval for u source contract between Royal Oaks Associated Incorporated and Kataba Countyy's board of education for gymnasium floor projects at Maiden Middle School and HMR Middle School. >> Motion we approve the board. >> Hearing a motion. Is there further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor shall raise a hand. That is unanimous. Thank you, sir. Thank you. >> Next up is a proposal of vendor recommendation for HVAC replacement systems at Bunker Hill High School presented again by Mr. West Morland. >> Yes, sir. Thank you. So, the construction main department is requesting approval to replace basically four HVAC units at Bunker Hill High School gym. Uh these units are 20 plus years old and we have gotten about the full life out of
027them as we can get. Our guys have done a nice job um having them last as long as they have. Uh so this project involves supplying and styling four barred six-tonon units. Um to reduce the the project cost, we're going to have our electric electricians handle the electrical connections. So it'll be a little bit of cost savings there. Um this will become out of capital outlay HVAC fund. So, our three bids here, we've got Hickory Sheet Metal 66,200, U. WC Reynolds Mechanical 69,600, and Kurland Way Mechanical 77,62456. Um, and so lowest bidder there, Hickory Sheet Metal. Uh, we have used Hickory Sheet Metal in the past, and also this will come with a 5year warranty on the parts. So, I respectfully request approval to move forward the lowest bidder in Hickory Sheet Metal for the
028total cost of $66,200 on this project. >> Have we used Hickory Sheet Metal in the past? >> Yes. >> Good service out of them. >> Yes, sir. >> All right. Hearing any further questions, I seek approval of proposed vendor recommendation for uh HVAC replacement systems at Bunker Hill High School as presented by Mr. Westwood. Hearing a motion. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor shall raise a hand as unanimous. Thank you, sir. >> Thank you. >> Next is presentation of first reading on Kataba County Board of Education policy revisions. All right, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, thank you for the time and presenting two draft policies for the board's consideration, both on first reading. Um, so had the pleasure on the fixed assets inventory policy of working with our finance
029department who actually brought this uh to me saying look this is a this is an antiquated value respectfully uh as to the $500 for fixed uh tangible property that we have and have to have an inventory for the superintendent and his design. We have an inventory of our tangible personal property like any large organization should. uh you'll see that in ter in the recordkeeping section of this policy. But what's changing, the only thing that's changing in this draft policy is the $500 to $5,000. Just to update with the times of of values going up, life being more expensive, things costing more, and being purportedly at least worth more. So that's what this policy is as to uh the fixed assets inventory is you will see a mark out of that $500 and an insertion a
030replacement value of $5,000 and that tracks with statute. No no vote on that is needed since we're just on first read on this unless it's just the pleasure of the board to do so. Some boards do, but I'll move on if it's the chairman and vice chair members pleasure to uh the student expression protests and walkouts policy. I want to start out uh by mentioning what this policy is not. Board members on this very board have come to me and been very clear uh that we do not want to tamp down on students freedom of speech rights. We wholly respect students first amendment rights, their uh right to assemble, their right to protest, their right to voice their minds peaceibly and in accordance with law. Uh what this does is it puts parameters on when
031and how you can do that when you have a designated instructional day where teachers are supposed to be teaching and kids are supposed to be learning in their respective classrooms. Uh so the the controlling case law on this still good law today. It stemmed from the 60s and the Vietnam War out of Tinker and De Moine. Uh students were wearing black armbands uh to silently protest the war and school administrators kind of took it upon themselves to proactively uh take some punitive measures uh policies that outlawed the armbands and things like that. The Supreme Court uh years later when that litigation finally uh came to a head said you can't do that in order to punish students in any way. It has to be totally contentneutral. You cannot punish content far right far left. You
032can't punish it. There has to be quote an actual substantial disruption to school operations or whatever's happening uh among and and between the students, whatever behavior, their conduct they're engaging in has to otherwise violate the rights of others. That's in a nutshell what Tinker is about. Um, so what this does is it just paints a picture, a binding policy picture for our district as to what is inbounds and what is out of bounds. And we could go into 7,500 different hypotheticals. I will not today intentionally and just uh say, look, you know, nobody's saying you can't wear a a pro this or that t-shirt for your candidate of choice, right, left, in the middle. That's not what this is about. But if a walk out, if a protest, if if things start turning violent, if
033it starts impeding or otherwise disrupting school instruction, other school operations or interfering with the rights of others, that and really only then is when school administrators can step in. You'll notice on page two of this policy that there is a section F administrative response section uh where if the school knows in advance because sometimes you get wind that something's going to go down there's going to be a mass this or that protest. Again, doesn't matter what the content is. very important throughout this uh if it is advanced by this board that no content right, left or in the middle or anything else that exists contentwise we stay away from entirely Supreme Court been that makes sense right I mean people can think what they want to think in America you still you still have that
034freedom but it says that look the superintendent uh actually said F it's e time place and manner regulations the superintendent or his designate may establish reasonable contentneutral time, place, and manner guidelines for student expression. And it's really for health and safety purposes, right? If you've got a mass anything going on at your school where a lot of human beings are participating, things can get more riled up. uh an example that we have seen other school systems uh invoke here just by way of of providing a safe envir for that protest to go down for that protest to happen even if they're punished from a from an attendance law standpoint. If they walk out of class they're not in class, you're going to get dinged for that. You know, you can't just if it's an instructional
035day, it's not an excused absence to just decide, hey, we're going to protest this or that whether or not there's advance notice. But in the event that there's advanced notice, what you do have in here, just so that everyone sees this is that subsection E where it says superintendent or is designate may establish reasonable parameters when it comes to sound amplification because that's going to impede on the classrooms right in the learning. Uh designated onampus locations without reading all of this. What you're thinking about is uh areas that are somewhat fenced in a baseball field, gymnasium, softball field comes to mind where you can account for the students under your instructional control for those roughly eight hours. Uh if you picture the school time that way, um adult supervision when appropriate, not not coming down
036because of contact but content, but but they're there for health and safety. Uh, and then requirements for advanced notice when feasible. That's probably not going to happen. You're going to hear about these things on social media. You already have. You've seen it on the news in other districts. And this is just, you know, when multiple members of this board came to me and said, "Hey, could you draft something that that jives with, you know, that flows with Supreme Court case law on down to our state law uh where we can have order amidst people expressing freely their opinions. That's what this is supposed to be. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Sink. >> Again, these are the first readings. We'll have another reading on the June 22nd meeting. All right. At this time, we
037will I'll seek a motion to go into close session to protect confidential or privilege information to consult with an attorney protect the current attorney client privilege and personnel matters. I seek a motion for close session. >> Mr. Chairman, I make that motion we go into close session at this time. >> Hearing a motion. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor shall raise a hand and we'll take a 10-minute recess and then we'll go back into we'll go into close session till 10 till 7. We'll go into close session. Thank you.